U.S. patent application number 15/722245 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-05 for device and method for assembling a plug housing with prefabricated cable ends of a cable harness.
This patent application is currently assigned to komax Holding AG. The applicant listed for this patent is komax Holding AG. Invention is credited to Thomas BUSSMANN, Beat ESTERMANN.
Application Number | 20180097328 15/722245 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57153278 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180097328 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BUSSMANN; Thomas ; et
al. |
April 5, 2018 |
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A PLUG HOUSING WITH PREFABRICATED
CABLE ENDS OF A CABLE HARNESS
Abstract
The present invention relates to a device (1) for assembling at
least one plug housing (200) with prepared cable ends (111, 121) of
a cable harness (100), in particular a twisted harness comprised of
at least two cables (110, 120), wherein the device (1) has at least
two cable grips (10, 20) each for gripping one of the at least two
cables (110, 120) on a segment (112, 122) of a free cable end (111,
121), in particular untwisted. For selective assembly, in
particular for insertion of the cable ends (111, 121) with a
longitudinal offset into the plug housing (200) through a segment
along the path of travel, which is potentially critical for a
successful assembly process, the at least two cable grips (10, 20)
are displaceable independently of one another in the longitudinal
direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be gripped.
Inventors: |
BUSSMANN; Thomas; (Lauerz,
CH) ; ESTERMANN; Beat; (Dierikon, CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
komax Holding AG |
Dierikon |
|
CH |
|
|
Assignee: |
komax Holding AG
Dierikon
CH
|
Family ID: |
57153278 |
Appl. No.: |
15/722245 |
Filed: |
October 2, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 13/432 20130101;
H01R 43/20 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 43/20 20060101
H01R043/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 3, 2016 |
EP |
16192019.4 |
Claims
1. A device (1) for assembling at least one plug housing (200) with
prefabricated cable ends (111, 121) of a cable harness (100), in
particular a twisted harness comprised of at least two cables (110,
120), wherein the device (1) has at least two cable grips (10, 20),
each for gripping one of the at least two cables (110, 120) on a
segment (112, 122) of a free cable end (111, 121), in particular
untwisted, wherein for selective assembly, in particular for
insertion of the cable ends (111, 121) with a longitudinal offset
into the plug housing (200) through a segment (211, 212, 213; 221,
222, 223) along the path of travel which is potentially critical
for a successful assembly process, the at least two cable grips
(10, 20) are displaceable independently of one another in the
longitudinal direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be
gripped.
2. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two
cable grips are disposed one after the other in the longitudinal
direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be gripped.
3. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the
at least two cable grips (10, 20), preferably all of them, has/have
at least one pair of gripping jaws (11, 12; 21,22) that are
adjustable relative to one another, which can be brought into a
closed position for clamping securely a cable end (111, 121) [and
can be brought] into an open position for receiving and releasing
one cable end (111, 121) and preferably can be brought into an
intermediate position for at least partially enclosing radially and
guiding a cable end (111, 121) along the longitudinal axis (L) of
the cable.
4. The device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the gripping jaws
(11, 12; 21, 22) of the at least one cable grip (10, 20) are
designed so that in addition the cable end (121; 111) of the at
least one additional cable (120; 110) is to be accommodated and in
the closed position, preferably also to enclose them at least
partially radially in the intermediate position and to guide them
along the longitudinal axis (L) of the cable.
5. The device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the gripping jaws
(11, 12; 21, 22) of the cable grip (10, 20) each have corresponding
gripping troughs or receiving troughs for securing, partial radial
enclosing and/or guiding the respective cable ends (111, 121).
6. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein for mutually
independent displacement of the at least two cable grips (10, 20)
in the longitudinal direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to
be gripped, one of the at least two cable grips (20) is
displaceable separately, in particular by means of a grip
displacement device (620) in the longitudinal direction (L)
relative to the other cable grip (10), and the other cable grip
(10) is displaceable by displacement of the entire device (1) in
the longitudinal direction (L) in particular by means of an overall
displacement device (601); or for mutually independent displacement
of the at least two cable grips (10, 20) in the longitudinal
direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be gripped, the two
cable grips (10, 20) are each displaceable separately, in
particular each with a separate grip displacement device, in the
longitudinal direction (L).
7. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the
cable grips (10, 20) is displaceable in at least one direction
transversely, in particular at a right angle to the longitudinal
direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be gripped; and/or at
least one of the cable grips (10, 20) is designed to execute a
vibrating movement longitudinally and/or transversely to the
longitudinal direction (L) of the cable ends (111, 121) to be
gripped.
8. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the device (1) has
at least one force sensor for measuring a tensile force and/or a
compressive force acting on a cable end to be gripped for
monitoring the assembly process.
9. A method for assembling at least one plug housing (200) with
prefabricated cable ends (111, 121) of a cable harness (100), in
particular a twisted harness comprised of at least two cables (110,
120), by using a device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the
method, in which the prefabricated cable ends (111, 121) are
inserted into the corresponding plug housing receptacles (210, 220)
of the at least one plug housing (200) up to the respective end
position, comprising the following steps: a. separate gripping of
the at least two cables (110, 120) on a segment of the respective
free cable end, in particular untwisted; b. advancing cable ends
(111, 121) being gripped along their longitudinal axis (L) in the
direction of the respective end position until reaching a segment
(211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223) which is potentially critical for a
successful assembly process along the path of travel in or into the
plug housing (200), in particular until reaching an insertion
segment (211, 221) of the respective plug housing receptacle (210,
220), a sealing mat segment (212, 222) in or in front of the
respective plug housing receptacle (210, 220) or a fixation segment
(213, 223) of the respective plug housing receptacle (210, 220); c.
longitudinally offset advance of the cable ends (111, 121) through
the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223) such that the
cable ends (111, 121) of the at least two cables (110, 210) pass by
the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223) one after the
other; d. repeating steps b. and c. for each additional critical
segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223) for reaching the respective
end position.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the cable ends (111,
121) of the at least two cables (110, 120) are offset
longitudinally along their longitudinal direction (L) relative to
one another before passing by a critical segment (211, 212, 213;
221, 222, 223) along their longitudinal direction (L) are disposed
around a longitudinal offset (.DELTA.L) which corresponds at least
to the length of the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222,
223).
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the
longitudinally-offset advance of the cable ends (111, 121) through
the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223) comprises:
synchronous advance of the cable ends (111, 121) that are disposed
with a longitudinal offset in the direction of the respective end
position upstream from the critical segment until the leading cable
end (111) has passed through the critical segment (211, 212, 213;
221, 222, 223), and then a separate advance of the trailing cable
end (121) through the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222,
223) without any additional advance of the leading cable end (111);
or synchronous advance of the cable ends (111, 121) that are
disposed with a longitudinal offset upstream from the passing in
the direction of the respective end position until the leading
cable end and (111) next the trailing cable end (121) have passed
through the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223).
12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the longitudinal
offset (.DELTA.L) between the cable ends (111, 121) of the at least
two cables (110, 120) can be compensated after the trailing cable
end (121) has passed by the critical segment (211, 212, 213; 221,
222, 223), in particular by separate advance of the trailing cable
end (121) without additional advance of the leading cable end
(111).
13. The method according to claim 9, wherein in the advance of the
respective cable end (111, 121) into and/or through a critical
segment (211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223), a tensile force and/or
compressive force acting on the cable end (111, 121) is
measured.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein when the measured
tensile force and/or compressive force exceeds a predefined value,
the advance of the cable end is stopped or repeated, in particular
by retraction and renewed advance of the corresponding cable end
(111, 121) and/or by carrying out a vibrating movement of the cable
end (ill, 121) longitudinally and/or transversely to the
longitudinal direction of the cable end (111, 121).
15. The method according to claim 9, wherein on reaching the
respective end position, a pull-out test is performed, preferably
for each one of the at least two cable ends (111, 121)
independently, in particular by exerting and measuring a tensile
force on the corresponding cable end (111, 121) in opposition to
the direction of insertion.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a method for
assembling at least one plug housing with prefabricated cable ends
of a cable harness, in particular twisted, having at least two
cables, wherein the device has at lest two cable grips, each for
gripping one of the at least two cables on one free segment, in
particular untwisted, of the cable end.
[0002] Cable harnesses such as those used in automobiles or
airplanes, for example, consist of a plurality of cables provided
with so-called plug housings, which is usually referred to as
assembly or assembling of the plug housings. To do so, cable ends
that have been prepared in advance, i.e., cut to length, stripped
of insulation and provided with contact parts, are inserted into
the chambers, i.e., receptacles, in the plug housing.
[0003] The cables of a cable harnesses usually have individual
cable ends to be assembled and to this end are also inserted
individually into the chambers in the plug housings by using
appropriate mechanical devices. To an increasing extent, cable
harness comprised of a plurality of individual cables have recently
also been used in cable harness consisting primarily of twisted
cable pairs, for which there is also a need to assemble the free
cable ends, in particular cable ends of the cable harness that have
been untwisted and optionally stretched. In addition to twisted
cable pairs and/or cable harnesses, however, it is also possible to
use untwisted cable pairs and/or cable harnesses or other
multi-cable cable systems in which the cables are merely disposed
side by side and are optionally combined in a composite, for
example, two or more individual cables surrounded by a sheathing.
There is therefore a general need for being able to assemble cable
harnesses from at least two cables, in particular twisted cables,
using appropriate mechanical devices at the cable end.
[0004] Devices for assembling plug housings with individual cables
and/or cable ends of individual cables are basically known from the
prior art. Thus, for example, EP 2 317 613 A1 describes a device
and a corresponding method for assembling plug housings with cable
ends by means of a cable grip, which has two clamping jaws for
gripping the cable end, these jaws being controllable in a coarse
movement and a fine movement. EP 1 317 031 A1, also describes an
assembly device for such purposes also having a force sensor
suitable for monitoring the assembly process by using a force
sensor. Monitoring of assembly processes by means of force sensors
is necessary in particular in potentially critical segments along
the path of travel of the prefabricated cable end into the plug
housing(s). Such potentially critical segments along the path of
travel relate in particular to the so-called insertion segment in
the insertion area of the plug housing receptacle and/or plug
housing chamber on which a cable end to be inserted may become
stuck because of inadequate or faulty prepositioning, or which may
be missed completely by the cable end to be inserted. Furthermore,
plug housings may also have so-called sealing mats, which must be
punctured during the assembly process by the contacts on the
prefabricated cable ends. Such sealing mats may be situated either
in front of the chambers and/or plug housing receptacles or as an
intermediate piece in the chambers and/or plug housing receptacles
of the plug housing. In particular such punctured sealing mats
represent critical segments along the path of travel of the cable
end during the assembly process. Restraint devices or locking
devices which engage with the contacts that are inserted are
present in the plug housings so that the prepared cables can no
longer be pulled out of the plug housing after assembly.
Conversely, the contacts on the cable ends may have such restraint
or locking devices that engage in the housing in the end position.
To ascertain whether the contact has been properly locked, a
pull-out test is usually performed after successful assembly, in
which test the cable is pulled with a reduced force, while at the
same time the force acting on the cable is monitored. Therefore,
the insertion into the restraint and/or locking devices also
constitutes a critical segment along the path of advance.
[0005] In addition to EP 1 317 031 A1, EP 0 348 615 A1 also
discloses an assembly device for individual cables in which the
contact and the cable are each held by a grip, and the correct
locking of the contact onto the plug housing is tested by means of
a force-monitored pulling motion. If any problems occur at the
potentially critical segments along the path of travel during
assembly of individual cables, then with the devices known from the
prior art so far, it is still possible to reprocess individual
cables from the assembly process with no problem. To do so, the
cable to be inserted is retracted and advanced again in the
direction of the plug housing in order to repeat the insertion
process and/or assembly process. Alternatively, if any problems
occur, the cable grip is capable of a vibrating movement to
overcome the critical situation, for example, if a contact becomes
stuck on insertion into the insertion segment of the plug housing
receptacle because of a slight incorrect positioning relative to
the plug housing receptacle or if it is pushed.
[0006] However, such monitoring measures and correction measures
are not possible with cable harnesses comprised of a plurality of
cables when using the devices and methods known from the state of
the art up to now because the individual cables are connected to
one another within the cable harness, and the cable ends at one end
of the cable harness reach and pass the respective potentially
critical segments along the path of travel essentially at the same
time at one end of the cable harness. For the same reason, it is
also impossible to carry out monitoring of force for individual
cables within the cable harness using the devices known previously
from the state of the art.
[0007] The object on which the present invention is based is thus
to implement a device and a method for assembly of at least one
plug housing using prefabricated cable ends of a cable harness
comprised of a plurality of cables, in which the assembly procedure
for the prefabricated cable ends of the cable harness, in
particular with regard to potential critical segments along the
path of travel in or into the plug housing, each of which can take
place as independently of one another as possible.
[0008] This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1 as
well as a method according to claim 9. Advantageous embodiments of
the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
[0009] To assemble the individual prefabricated cable ends at one
end of a cable harness as independently of one another as possible,
it is provided according to the invention that the cable ends are
to be inserted and passed through segments along the path of travel
that are potentially critical for a successful assembly process
with a longitudinal offset one after the other. To this end, the
device according to the invention has at least two cable grips for
gripping one each of the at least two cables on a free segment of
the respective cable end, in particular a segment that is
untwisted. To produce the longitudinal offset according to the
invention and to insert and pass the cable ends into and through
the potentially critical segments along the path of travel with a
longitudinal offset one after the other, the at least two cable
grips are designed to be displaceable independently of one another
in the longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped.
[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
the at least two cable grips are designed to be displaceable in the
longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped along the
path of travel independently of one another, at least by and/or
over the length of a segment, in particular the longest one of the
potentially critical segments along the path of travel. This
achieves the result in particular that the prefabricated cable
ends, in particular the contact elements attached there are the
segments and/or zones, which are potentially critical for the
assembly procedure and in which the force should preferably be
monitored, can be passed individually. Each cable end can thus be
passed individually and/or separately through a potentially
critical zone and can be monitored by means of force sensors.
[0011] In the sense of the present invention, the cable ends of the
cable harness to be assembled are the cable ends situated at one
end of the cable harness. Furthermore, in the sense of the present
invention, the cable ends to be assembled are present freely on one
end of the cable harness, i.e., the composite of the cable harness,
for example, the twisting thereof is released in the area of the
cable ends to be assembled, so that, in the case of an otherwise
twisted cable harness, for example, the cable ends and/or the cable
harness is/are untwisted in the area of the cable ends and
preferably also stretched. In a sense of the present invention,
however, the cable ends should be "free" in any case in the sense
that they are essentially released from one another, gripped
independently of one another and moved in relation to one another
at least in a certain area, in particular being offset in the
longitudinal direction relative to one another. If the cable ends
that are to be aligned according to the invention are still not
free of one another, then according to one advantageous embodiment
of the invention, it is possible to provide for the cable ends to
be "freed," before the alignment, for example, being untwisted,
and/or to release the cable harness (i.e., the composite of the
cable harness, for example, the twisting of the cable harness) in
the area of the cable ends, for example, to untwist it in the area
of the cable ends to be aligned.
[0012] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, it is also possible to provide that the at least two or
more cable grips are disposed one after the other in the
longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped and can be
offset and/or displaced in the longitudinal direction independently
of one another. This yields a particularly compact design of the
assembly device. However, it is also conceivable for the cable
grips to be disposed in the same axial position with respect to the
longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped, but to grip
the respective cable ends from different directions transversely,
in particular at a right angle to the longitudinal direction on the
respective cable ends.
[0013] In the case of cable harnesses having more than two cable
ends to be processed, more than two cable grips are provided, i.e.,
one cable grip for each cable end which can be offset and/or
displaced independently of one another in the longitudinal
direction of the cable ends to be gripped and are preferably
disposed one after the other in the longitudinal direction.
[0014] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, at least one, preferably all the cable grips have a pair
of gripping jaws that are adjustable relative to one another. These
can be brought into at least one closed position for clamping
securely one cable end and into one open position for receiving and
releasing the cable end. It may preferably also be provided that
the gripping jaws can be brought into an intermediate position for
at least partially enclosing the cable end radially and guiding it
along its longitudinal axis. This intermediate position may be used
in particular to enable a subsequent re-gripping in the sense of a
stepwise displacement of the cable end in the direction of the end
position in the plug housing.
[0015] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, the gripping jaws of the at least one cable grip may be
designed so that one cable end of at least one additional cable of
the cable harness can also be accommodated, and in the closed
position as well as preferably also in the intermediate position,
the cable end can be guided at least partially radially for closing
and along the longitudinal cable axis. In this way, the cable end
is additionally stabilized in an advantageous manner on insertion
and/or assembly during the forward advance.
[0016] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, for securely holding, partial radial enclosing and/or
guiding the respective cables ends, the gripping jaws of the cable
grip may each have corresponding gripping troughs or receiving
troughs. For example, it is conceivable for the gripping jaws to be
designed like the jaws of pliers. To secure a cable end in the
closed position, the gripping troughs and/or receiving troughs may
have a roughened surface or a ridged surface in particular.
Accordingly the troughs and/or the areas of the gripping jaws,
which serve only to facilitate the radial enclosing and to guide an
additional cable end, may have a smooth surface.
[0017] To implement the mutually independent displacement of the at
least two cable grips in the longitudinal direction of the cable
ends to be gripped, according to another advantageous embodiment of
the invention, it is possible to provide that one of the at least
two cable grips is displaceable in the longitudinal direction
relative to the other cable grip separately, in particular by means
of a grip displacement device, and the other cable grip is
displaceable by displacement of the entire assembly device in the
longitudinal direction, in particular by means of an overall
displacement device. Alternatively, it is possible to provide that
the at least two cable grips are each displaceable separately, in
particular each with a separate cable grip displacement device, in
the longitudinal direction for mutually independent displacement of
the at least two cable grips in the longitudinal direction of the
cable ends to be gripped. Actuator-operated (linear) displacement
devices may be considered in particular as the cable grip
displacement device and/or the overall displacement device.
Actuators that may be considered include, for example,
pneumatically, hydraulically or electric motor-operated actuators
(linear motors or rotational motors with motion converters, in
particular gears).
[0018] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention it may be provided that at least one of the cable grips
is displaceable in at least one direction transversely, in
particular at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the
cable ends to be gripped. In this way, a simplified guidance of the
cable grip to the cable ends to be processed can be implemented in
an advantageous manner. Furthermore, it is possible in this way to
process plug housings with different distances between plug housing
compartments to be assembled. Preferably all the cable grips are
displaceable transversely, in particular at a right angle to the
longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped.
Alternatively or additionally, it may also be provided that at
least one, preferably all the cable grips are designed for
performing a vibrating movement longitudinally and/or transversely
to the longitudinal direction of the cable ends to be gripped. To
this end, corresponding actuators may be attached to the cable
grips to create such a vibrating movement. In the case of a
critical situation, for example, when the cable end becomes stuck
and/or the contact attached to the cable end becomes stuck, the
vibrating movement serves mainly to correct the position of the
cable end and thereby overcome a critical situation in the area of
a critical segment, for example, in the insertion area, in the area
of the sealing mat or in the area of the locking device.
[0019] To monitor the assembly process, it may additionally be
provided that the device has at least one force sensor for
measuring a tensile force and/or a compressive force acting on a
cable end to be gripped. Ideally, a force sensor, which can measure
the forces acting on the respective cable, is provided for each
cable grip. Alternatively, however, only one force sensor may be
provided for the entire assembly device, which then measures the
forces acting on the cable over the entire device. Because of the
possibility of arranging the cable ends so that they are offset in
the longitudinal direction and guiding them accordingly, one after
the other, through potentially critical segments along the path of
travel, it is thus possible to measure the tensile forces and/or
compressive forces acting along the corresponding critical segment
individually for each cable end.
[0020] The object of the present invention is also achieved by the
method described below for assembling at least one plug housing
with prefabricated cable ends of a cable harness, in particular
twisted, using the device according to the invention described
previously. In this method, the prefabricated cable ends are
inserted as far as the respective end position into corresponding
plug housing receptacles and/or plug housing compartments of the at
least one plug housing. According to the invention, this method is
characterized by the following steps: [0021] a. separate gripping
of the at least two cables on a segment of the respective free
cable end, in particular untwisted; [0022] b. advancing the gripped
cable ends along their longitudinal direction in the direction of
the respective end position until reaching a segment, which is
potentially critical for a successful assembly process, along the
path of travel in or into the plug housing, in particular until
reaching an insertion segment of the respective plug housing
receptacle of a sealing mat segment in or in front of the plug
housing receptacle or a fixation segment of the respective plug
housing receptacle; [0023] c. longitudinally offset advance of the
cable ends through the critical segment, such that the cable ends
of the at least two cables pass through the critical segment one
after the other; [0024] d. repeating steps b. and c. for each
additional, possibly critical segment until reaching the respective
end position.
[0025] According to one advantageous embodiment of the method
according to the invention, it may be provided that the cable ends
of the at least two cables are disposed with a longitudinal offset
relative to one another corresponding at least to the length of the
critical segment before the cables pass by a critical segment along
their longitudinal direction. As a result of this measure, a
situation is reached in which the at least two cables can then be
guided individually one after the other through the critical
segment and it is ensured that the following cable end does not
enter the critical segment until the leading cable end itself has
already passed it. Alternatively, it may also be provided that the
cable ends of the at least two cables are advanced up to a critical
segment and then the one cable end is first guided through the
critical segment while the other cable end waits in front of the
critical segment and enters the critical segment only then and is
passed through it when the leading cable end has passed through the
critical segment.
[0026] In the case when the cable ends are disposed with a
corresponding longitudinal offset before passing through a critical
segment, it may be provided according to another advantageous
embodiment of the invention that the longitudinally offset advance
of the cable ends through the critical segment comprises the
following: [0027] synchronous advance of the cable ends that are
disposed upstream from the passing with a longitudinal offset in
the direction of the respective end position until the leading
cable end has passed through the critical segment, and then a
separate advance of the trailing cable end through the critical
segment without any additional advance of the leading cable end; or
[0028] synchronous advance of the cable ends that are disposed with
a longitudinal offset upstream from the passing in the direction of
the respective end position until the leading cable end and next
the trailing cable end have passed through the critical
segment.
[0029] According to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, the longitudinal offset between the cable ends of the at
least two cables can be compensated after the trailing cable end
has passed by the critical segment. This can be implemented in
particular by separate advance of the trailing cable end without
additional advance of the leading cable end.
[0030] In a manner similar to that with the device according to the
invention, it may also be provided with the method according to the
invention that in the advance of the respective cable end into
and/or through a critical segment, a tensile force and/or
compressive force acting on the cable end is measured. It is
conceivable that the force is monitored either for each one of the
cable ends in the respective advance operation or as an
alternative, it is also conceivable that the force is monitored on
only one of the cable ends, in particular at least one of the cable
ends.
[0031] If the measured tensile force and/or compressive force
should exceed a predefined value, it may be provided according to
another advantageous embodiment of the invention that the advance
of the corresponding cable end is stopped. Alternatively or
additionally, it is possible that the advance is repeated, in
particular by retracting the corresponding cable end and then
advancing it again and/or by executing a vibrating motion of the
cable end longitudinally and/or transversely to the longitudinal
direction of the cable end.
[0032] In particular with regard to reaching the respective end
position, according to another advantageous embodiment of the
invention, it may be provided that a pull-out test is performed,
preferably for each one of the at least two cable ends, in
particular by exerting and measuring a tensile force on the
corresponding cable end in opposition to the direction of
insertion.
[0033] Additional goals, advantages and possible applications of
the present invention are derived from the following description of
an exemplary embodiment of the invention as well as on the basis of
the accompanying figures.
[0034] In the figures:
[0035] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an assembly unit with a
possible exemplary embodiment of the assembly device according to
the invention;
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the exemplary embodiment of
the assembly device according to FIG. 1; and
[0037] FIGS. 3a-i show an illustration of an exemplary embodiment
of the method according to the invention using the assembly device
according to FIG. 1.
[0038] FIG. 1 shows an assembly unit 400 with one possible
exemplary embodiment of the assembly device 1 according to the
invention, which serves to assemble the plug housings 200 with the
prefabricated cable ends 111, 121 of a pair of cables 100, which
are twisted together in the present case, the plug housings being
disposed in corresponding housing holders 500 on a so-called
palette 501. The assembly device 1 receives the cable pair 100 to
be processed from a so-called alignment unit 300, such as that
described in European Patent Application No. EP16192006.1, for
example, by the same patent applicant, filed on the same day as the
present patent application. The alignment device 300 serves to
align the completely prefabricated cable ends 111, 121, which are
provided in particular with contact elements 113, 123 and are
untwisted and/or drawn by the otherwise twisted cable pair 100 with
respect to the plug housings 200 to align them in the correct
rotational position. The aligning device 300 therefore has suitable
cable grips 310, 320, which can be moved horizontally together and
can be lowered vertically in order to transfer the cable pair 100
to cable grips 10, 20 of the assembly device 1 having essentially
the same design. As was the case with the assembly device 1, the
alignment unit 300 is provided with a cable grip 10, 20; 310, 320
per cable 110, 120. The transfer takes place in such a way that the
cables 110, 120 each remain clamped in at least one cable grip 10,
20; 310, 320--either on the assembly device end or on the alignment
device end--so that the alignment of the contacts 113, 123 in the
correction rotational position remains the same.
[0039] To insert the cable 110, 120 transferred in this way into
the plug housing receptacles 210, 220 of the plug housing 200 held
in the plug housing holder 500 on the pallet 501 with the help of
the assembly device 1, the assembly device 1 is designed to be
displaceable in the direction of the longitudinal axes L of the
cable in the present example. The approach to the plug housing
receptacles 210, 220 and/or plug housing chambers 210, 220 is
accomplished by means of the pallet 501, which, for this purpose,
can be moved horizontally and vertically, i.e., in two independent
directions, i.e., transversely, in particular at a right angle to
the longitudinal axis L of the cable. Other variants are of course
also conceivable, in which the assembly device 1 is designed to be
displaceable in several directions independently of one another,
and the pallet 501 must have fewer degrees of freedom
accordingly.
[0040] With reference to FIG. 2, the present exemplary embodiment
of the assembly device 1 is described in greater detail below. The
two cable grips 10, 20, each of which has a pair of gripping jaws
11, 12; 21, 22, which may be designed in particular like those of
the cable grips 310, 320 of the alignment unit 300, form the heart
of the assembly device 1. The gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22 are
designed so that they each clamp a cable 110, 120 in a closed
position and accordingly they surround other cables 120, 110 only
radially and are guided to this extent along the longitudinal
direction L thereof. The gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22 can be
converted additionally to an open position in order to insert the
two cables 110, 120 between the gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22 of the
corresponding cable grip 10, 20 and/or to release the two cables
110, 120 again. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown
here, the cable grips 10, 20 can be transferred to a so-called
intermediate position in which the two cables 110, 120 are merely
enclosed radially and are guided axially to this extent, so that
subsequent re-gripping of the cables is made possible in
particular.
[0041] The assembly device 1 may be displaced as a whole in the
longitudinal direction L of the cable. For example, an actuator
device 601 may be used for this purpose. In addition, one of the
two cable grips 20 of the assembly device can be displaced in the
longitudinal direction L of the cables 110, 120 relative to the
other cable grip 10. In this regard, an actuator 620 may also be
present. However, as an alternative variant, it is also possible
for the two cable grips 10, 20 of the assembly device 1 to each be
designed to be movable and/or displaceable individually and/or
separately in the longitudinal direction L of the cable. Here
again, corresponding actuators, for example, programmable servo
axles (servo motors) may also be provided, although they are not
shown in detail here.
[0042] For monitoring the assembly process and for carrying out a
so-called pull-out test, the assembly device 1 in the present
exemplary embodiment has force sensors (not shown here). The
assembly device 1 preferably has one sensor, which can measure the
tensile and/or compressive forces acting on the respective cable
detected and/or gripped for each of the two cable grips 10, 20.
Alternatively, it is conceivable that there is only one sensor
which measures the forces acting on the entire assembly device 1
where these forces each act on the entire assembly device 1 in the
longitudinal direction L of the cable.
[0043] In order to enable assembly of plug housings 200 with
different distances between the plug housing receptacles and/or
plug housing chambers 210, 220, it may also be provided that the
entire assembly device 1 is designed so that at least one of the
two cable grips 10, 20 is additionally designed to be displaceable
in a corresponding direction transversely to the longitudinal axis
L of the cable. In this case, the gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22 of
the corresponding cable grip 10, 20 may be designed in such a way
that the non-clamping internal contours of the gripping jaws 11,
12; 21, 22 are designed to be slot-shaped, for example. In this
way, different cable distances can be processed using the same
gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22.
[0044] It is provided according to the invention that the two cable
grips 10, 20 of the assembly device 1 can each grip a cable 110,
120 of the cable pair 100 and are designed to be movable and/or
displaceable independently of one another in the longitudinal
direction L of the cables 110, 120 according to the invention. In
the present exemplary embodiment, the cable grips 10, 20 of the
assembly device 1 are also disposed one after the other in the
longitudinal direction L of the cables 110, 120 in order to
implement a particularly compact design of the assembly device 1.
With regard to the method according to the invention, it is
provided that the two cable ends 111, 121 which are provided with
contact elements 113, 123 for the assembly process 1 can each be
disposed offset from one another in the longitudinal direction L,
so that the respective contacts 113, 123 on the prefabricated cable
ends 111, 121 of the two cables 110, 120 can pass by potentially
critical segments 211, 212, 213; 221, 222, 223, one after the other
and/or individually, along the path of travel in the direction of
the plug housing 200 and/or the end position of the plug housing
200, and in particular can also implement an independent force
monitoring.
[0045] On the basis of FIGS. 3a-i, one exemplary embodiment of the
assembly process with the help of the assembly device 1 shown here
will be presented below as an example in order to insert the
prepared stretched cable ends 111, 121 of an otherwise twisted pair
of cables 100 provided with contact elements 113, 123 into the
respective plug housing receptacles and/or plug housing chambers
210, 220 of a plug housing 200, in which a sealing mat device 212,
222 is additionally provided. The method shown here may also be
carried out similarly with plug housings that do not have sealing
mats or with plug housings that have a sealing mat, which is
disposed on the outside in front of the insertion openings in the
plug housing.
[0046] FIG. 3a shows the starting position of the assembly method
in which the contacts 113, 123 of the cable pair 100 are positioned
in the correct orientation with respect to the rotation position in
front of the two plug housing chambers 210, 220. Each of the two
cables 110, 120 is secured by a respective cable grip 10, 20 of the
assembly device 1 on a segment of the free untwisted cable end 111,
121.
[0047] In the next step (FIG. 3b), one of the two cable grips 20 is
pulled back to produce a longitudinal offset .DELTA.L between the
two cable ends 111, 121. The longitudinal offset .DELTA.L
corresponds at least to the length of the so-called chamber inlet
211, 221 and/or insertion segment of the corresponding plug housing
chambers 210, 220, which represents a first segment along the path
of travel, which is potentially critical for the assembly
process.
[0048] Next the assembly device 1 is advanced in the direction of
the plug housing 200 (cf. FIG. 3c) until the contact element 113 of
the leading cable end 111 is just in front of the sealing mat
device 212. During this displacement movement, the force acting on
this cable end 111 is monitored. Since the two contact elements
113, 123 pass through the chamber inlet 211, 221 one after the
other, the corresponding assembly force for each contact 113, 123
can be monitored individually. If a predetermined maximum force is
exceeded, then it is possible to infer a collision at the chamber
inlet 211, 221 and the insertion process may be repeated if
necessary.
[0049] In the next step (cf. FIG. 3d), the rear cable grip 20 is
retracted until a length offset .DELTA.L is formed, corresponding
at least to the thickness of the sealing mat device 212, 222 which
represents an additional segment along the path of travel which is
potentially critical for the assembly process.
[0050] Next (cf. FIG. 3e) the assembly device is advanced until the
sealing mat 212, 222 has been punctured by the contact 113 of the
leading cable end 110. Here again the assembly force can be
monitored.
[0051] Following that (cf. FIG. 3f) the rear cable grip 20 is moved
further forward in the direction of the plug housing 200 until the
contact element 123 of the trailing cable end 120 has also
punctured the sealing mat device 222. As an alternative variant, it
is also conceivable for the assembly device 1 to be advanced with
the cable grips 10, 20 disposed so that they are offset in length,
and the longitudinal offset .DELTA.L is then balanced following
this step. This is advantageous in particular when the assembly
force is to be monitored and there is only one force sensor for the
entire assembly device 1 and there are not separate force sensors
for the two cable grips 10, 20.
[0052] In the case when re-gripping is necessary, for example,
because the path of travel inside the plug housing 200 is longer
than the free displacement path of the cable grips 10, 20, the
assembly device 1 can be moved forward as far as possible in the
direction of the end position--as shown in FIG. 3g--and then the
cable grips 10, 20 can be opened as far as the middle position.
Next, the assembly device 1 moves back by the distance necessary
for re-gripping. Then the gripping jaws 11, 12; 21, 22 of the cable
grips 10, 20 are closed again to conclude the re-gripping operation
(cf. FIG. 3h).
[0053] As the last step in the present exemplary embodiment, there
is a forward movement of the entire assembly device 1 into the end
position of the two contact elements 113, 123 in the plug housing
200. Reaching this end position can be detected by the force sensor
and the forward movement can be stopped accordingly. For the case
when the force cannot be measured for each cable 110, 120
independently, it is possible to carry out this step individually
for each of the two cables 110, 120. To do so, one of the two cable
grips 10, 20 can be opened as far as the middle position, so that
only one cable 110 is inserted first as far as the corresponding
end position (cf. FIG. 3i).
[0054] After conclusion of the successful assembly, a pull-out test
can also be performed. To do so, the two cables 110, 120 are pulled
at a reduced force by means of the assembly device 1 while at the
same time the force acting on the cable ends 111, 121 is monitored
to ascertain whether the two contact elements 113, 123 are properly
locked in the end positions of the plug housing 200. Here again, it
may be necessary to bring one of the two cable grips 10, 20 into
the middle position in order to be able to carry out the pullout
test for both cables 110, 120 independently of one another and/or
one after the other.
[0055] After this step, the assembly process is concluded for this
cable pair 100. The assembly device 1 may then receive another
cable pair from the alignment unit 300, while the pallet 501 is
moved to bring the plug housing chambers that are to be assembled
with the next cable pair into the proper position.
* * * * *